Momoko, The Stars Shine Bright: Kamikaze Girls

As Kamikaze Girls (Tetsuya Nakashima, 2004) [orig. "Shimotsuma Story," based on the excellent book by Novala Takemoto] opens, its heroine Momoko, wearing a frilly dress while speeding along on a motor scooter, is struck by an oncoming produce truck. The End. But to understand how things came to this pass, it’s necessary to back up a little–to Rococo-era France.

Momoko, a “sweet” lolita, lives in the sub-suburban hell of Shimotsuma (north of Tokyo) with her low-level mobster father. All that sustains her soul are trips to Harajuku to visit her favorite Western boutique, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, and plunge herself in dreams of the stylish past. But when, to make some cash to support her habit, she tries to sell off some of her father’s black market faux-Versace goods, and meets biker punk Ichiko, she may find life has become a bit too exciting.

One of the quirkiest and most original films to come out of Japan in recent years (which is of course saying something), Kamikaze Girls is a brilliant mediation on fashion and subculture, friendship, and most of all, how people can survive the crushing boredom of life after Tokyo. Takemoto, in his touching English afterward to the novel, describes his “let’s all get along while doing whatever we want” message; and if that’s what he was aiming for, I’d say he succeeded admirably. But don’t take my word for it, listen to “Unicorn” Ryuji:

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright